Jie Lijian

Jie Lijian

Jie Lijian (Chinese: 界立建) is a Chinese activist based in the United States.

Life and activism

Jie is from the rural village of Gaozhaizi in Shandong.[1]

Jie has reported being jailed repeatedly and suffering police brutality in China. He has said he was detained for taking part in commemorations of the Tiananmen massacre.[2]

In 2018, Jie was treated for mental illness without his consent after being arrested for attending a protest at a factory demanding better pay.[3] After a week in the hospital, where he was prescribed antipsychotics, Jie refused further medication. In response, staff forced Jie to do electroconvulsive therapy, which he described as very painful.[3] He was discharged after 52 days.[3] He subsequently fled China to Los Angeles, where he has applied for asylum.[4]

Jie has maintained that Chinese authorities have used forced psychiatric treatment "as a form of illegal detention" and as a way to delegitimize activists.[5] He has also criticized human rights abuses in China and the Chinese government's reaction to whistleblowers in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

Attacks

In 2023, Jie told PBS News Hour he had been attacked five times, including being stabbed once, while living in the United States. He also reported receiving death threats on social media.[4]

In 2025, Jie was beaten unconscious in the New York City neighborhood of Flushing, Queens by three men suspected of being Chinese nationals, according to the Taipei Times.[6] He spent two days in a coma.[6] Taiwanese foreign minister Lin Chia-lun subsequently released a statement that Taiwan had procedures in place to help victims of Chinese transnational oppression abroad.[7][8][9]

References

  1. ↑ Xue, Xiaoshan (2023-02-03). "In Rural China, Shortages of Treatment, Doctors Prove Deadly". Voice of America. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  2. ↑ O’Sullivan, Mike. "Refugees, Asylum-Seekers Speak of Persecution in China | VOA Special Report". Voice of America. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  3. 1 2 3 Pratten, Nyima (2025-01-23). "China's psychiatric treatment for 'trouble-makers'". BBC News. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  4. 1 2 3 "China scrutinized for secret police watching and intimidating Chinese dissidents abroad". PBS News Hour. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  5. ↑ Wang, Kitty (2025-01-15). "Influencer locked up in psychiatric hospital, prompting social media outrage". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  6. 1 2 Younger, Hollie (2026-07-23). "Taiwan responds to China's coercion abroad". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  7. ↑ Lai, Jyun-tang (2026-07-22). "Taiwan vows support for citizens facing Chinese intimidation abroad". Taiwan News. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  8. ↑ 中央通訊社 (2026-07-22). "林佳龍：應對中國跨境鎮壓有SOP 民眾國外遭脅迫可與外館聯絡 | 政治". 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  9. ↑ "Taiwan has procedure to counter Chinese aggression after New York incident: MOFA". Taipei Times. 2026-07-22. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
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